Trump says US forces bombed Iran nuclear sites; says 'Fordow is gone'
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said that a "very successful attack" on three nuclear sites in Iran had been successfully carried out, including at Fordow.
In a posting on Truth Social, Trump added, "All planes are safely on their way home" and he congratulated "our great American Warriors."
Trump ended his posting saying, "Now is the time for peace."
The action came as Israel and Iran have been engaged in more than a week of aerial combat that has resulted in deaths and injuries in both countries.
Israel launched the attacks on Iran saying that it wanted to remove any chance of Tehran developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has argued that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes.
Diplomatic efforts by Western nations to stop the hostilities had so far been unsuccessful. In another social media posting Trump said, "Fordow is gone."
Trump appeared to be referring to the underground nuclear storage facility in Natanz. The bombing came after B-2 bombers had been dispatched to Guam earlier on Saturday, according to U.S. sources.
A U.S. official told Reuters that B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. It was still unclear whether any Israeli forces were involved in this latest bombing, which significantly expanded the scope of the hostilities.
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'If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.' The US reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to say the strikes are all the US plans and it does not aim for regime change, CBS News reported. Trump said US forces struck Iran's three principal nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. He told Fox News' Sean Hannity show that six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites. US B-2 bombers were involved in the strikes, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,' Trump posted on Truth Social. People stand in front of a Fox News ticker displaying a headline about U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, in New York City, U.S. June 21, 2025. Photo: Reuters 'Fordow is gone.' Reuters had reported earlier on Saturday the movement of the B-2 bombers, which can be equipped to carry massive bombs that experts say would be needed to strike Fordow, which is buried beneath a mountain south of Tehran. Given its fortification, it will likely be days, if not longer, before the impact of the strikes is known. An Iranian official, cited by Tasnim news agency, confirmed part of the Fordow site was attacked by 'enemy airstrikes.' However, Mohammad Manan Raisi, a lawmaker for Qom, near Fordow, told the semi-official Fars news agency the facility had not been seriously damaged. US B-2 bombers involved in Iran strikes, U.S. official says Iranian media quoted Iran's nuclear body as saying there were no signs of contamination after the attacks, and no danger to residents living nearby. Hassan Abedini, deputy political head of Iran's state broadcaster, said Iran had evacuated the three sites some time ago. 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Israel launched attacks on June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons, which it neither confirms nor denies. Yemeni Houthi's response to US attack on Iran 'only a matter of time', official says At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks, Iranian state-run Nour News said, citing the health ministry. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed and 1,272 people injured, according to local authorities.
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Investors brace for oil price spike, rush to havens after US bombs Iran nuclear sites
NEW YORK: A US attack on Iranian nuclear sites could lead to a knee-jerk reaction in global markets when they reopen, sending oil prices higher and triggering a rush to safety, investors said, as they assessed how the latest escalation of tensions would ripple through the global economy. The attack, which was announced by President Donald Trump on social media site Truth Social, deepens U.S. involvement in the Middle East conflict. That was the question going into the weekend, when investors were mulling a host of different market scenarios. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, they expected the U.S. involvement was likely to cause a selloff in equities and a possible bid for the dollar and other safe-haven assets when trading begins, but also said much uncertainty about the course of the conflict remained. US B-2 bombers involved in Iran strikes, U.S. official says Trump called the attack 'a spectacular military success' in a televised address to the nation and said Iran's 'key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated'. He said the U.S. military could go after other targets in Iran if the country did not agree to peace. 'I think the markets are going to be initially alarmed, and I think oil will open higher,' said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital. 'We don't have any damage assessment and that will take some time. Even though he has described this as 'done', we're engaged. What comes next?' Spindel said. 'I think the uncertainty is going to blanket the markets, as now Americans everywhere are going to be exposed. It's going to raise uncertainty and volatility, particularly in oil,' he added. Spindel, however, said there was time to digest the news before markets open and said he was making arrangements to talk to other market participants. Oil prices, inflation A key concern for markets would center around the potential impact of the developments in the Middle East on oil prices and thus on inflation. A rise in inflation could dampen consumer confidence and lessen the chance of near-term interest rate cuts. 'This adds a complicated new layer of risk that we'll have to consider and pay attention to,' said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Cresset Capital. 'This is definitely going to have an impact on energy prices and potentially on inflation as well.' While global benchmark Brent crude futures have risen as much as 18% since June 10, hitting a near five-month high of $79.04 on Thursday, the S&P 500 has been little changed, following an initial drop when Israel launched its attacks on Iran on June 13. Trump says US forces bombed Iran nuclear sites; says 'Fordow is gone' Before the U.S. attack on Saturday, analysts at Oxford Economics modeled three scenarios, including a de-escalation of the conflict, a complete shutdown in Iranian oil production and a closure of the Strait of Hormuz, 'each with increasingly large impacts on global oil prices.' In the most severe case, global oil prices jump to around $130 per barrel, driving U.S. inflation near 6% by the end of this year, Oxford said in the note. 'Although the price shock inevitably dampens consumer spending because of the hit to real incomes, the scale of the rise in inflation and concerns about the potential for second-round inflation effects likely ruin any chance of rate cuts in the U.S. this year,' Oxford said in the note, which was published before the U.S. strikes. In comments after the announcement on Saturday, Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group, agreed oil prices would likely spike on the initial news. But Cox said he expected prices to likely level in a few days as the attacks could lead Iran to seek a peace deal with Israel and the United States. 'With this demonstration of force and total annihilation of its nuclear capabilities, they've lost all of their leverage and will likely hit the escape button to a peace deal,' Cox said. Economists warn that a dramatic rise in oil prices could damage a global economy already strained by Trump's tariffs. Still, any pullback in equities might be fleeting, history suggests. During past prominent instances of Middle East tensions coming to a boil, including the 2003 Iraq invasion and the 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities, stocks initially languished but soon recovered to trade higher in the months ahead. World leaders react to US attack on Iran On average, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% in the three weeks following the start of conflict, but was 2.3% higher on average two months following the conflict, according to data from Wedbush Securities and CapIQ Pro. Dollar woes An escalation in the conflict could have mixed implications for the U.S. dollar, which has tumbled this year amid worries over diminished U.S. exceptionalism. In the event of U.S. direct engagement in the Iran-Israel war, the dollar could initially benefit from a safety bid, analysts said. 'Do we see a flight to safety? That would signal yields going lower and the dollar getting stronger,' said Steve Sosnick, chief market strategist at IBKR in Greenwich, Connecticut. 'It's hard to imagine stocks not reacting negatively and the question is how much. It will depend on Iranian reaction and whether oil prices spike.'
